Navratna Status
- Department of Public Enterprises has granted Navratna status to Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA).
- IREDA is under administrative control of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. It was established as a Non-Banking Financial Institution in 1987.
- Status of Navratna is granted based on various parameters, such as,
- CPSEs which are Miniratna I, and
- have obtained ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’ MoU rating in three of the last five years and
- having composite score of 60 or above in selected performance indicators.
- Tags :
- IREDA
- Navratna Status
Articles Sources
Electronic Trading Platforms
- RBI releases Draft Master Direction – Reserve Bank of India (Electronic Trading Platforms) Directions, 2024.
- Prior authorization or registration with RBI is required for operating ETP.
- An entity seeking authorisation as an ETP operator
- should be incorporated in India and
- maintain a minimum net worth of RS 5 crore.
- ETP refers to any electronic system, other than a recognised stock exchange, on which transactions in eligible instruments are contracted.
- Eligible instruments include securities, money market instruments, foreign exchange instruments, derivatives etc.
- Tags :
- Electronic Trading Platforms
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)
- NABARD has sanctioned a study on the impact evaluation of Geographical Indication (GI) products.
- Presently, 144 products supported by NABARD, are GI tagged.
- About NABARD
- It is India’s apex development bank, established in 1982 under an Act of Parliament.
- Headquartered in Mumbai, it is wholly owned by Government of India.
- Mandate: to promote sustainable and equitable agriculture and rural development.
- Recommended by B. Sivaraman committee.
- Functions: Promotional and developmental initiatives, finance and refinance support, capacity building of cooperatives and regional rural banks etc.
- Tags :
- NABARD
- G.I Tag
Foreign Contribution Registration Act (FCRA), 2010
- Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has cancelled the registration of at least five Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) for allegedly violating provisions of FCRA.
- About FCRA, 2010
- Nodal Ministry: MHA.
- Enacted during Emergency in 1976 amid apprehensions that foreign powers were interfering in India’s affairs.
- Amended in 2010 to consolidate the law on utilisation of foreign funds, and to prohibit their use for any activities detrimental to national interest.
- Again amended in 2020, giving the government tighter control and scrutiny over the receipt and utilisation of foreign funds by NGOs.
- Tags :
- NGOs
- FCRA, 2010
Kalvari class of submarines.
- Pakistan launched its first Hangor class submarine which is considered a direct counterpart of India’s Kalavari class of submarines.
- About Kalvari class submarines:
- Built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited under Project-75, these are adaptation of French Scorpene-class submarines.
- These have diesel-electric propulsion systems and are primarily attack submarines.
- India operates six Kalvari class submarines, namely Kalvari, Khanderi, Karanj, Vela, Vagir, Vagshir.
- Indian Navy is in process of installing an indigenously developed Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system to these submarines.
- AIP system allows non-nuclear submarines to remain submerged for longer period.
- Tags :
- Hangor Class Submarine
- Kalavari class of submarines.
- Project-75
Base flow
- A recent study highlighted that Baseflows have a stronger triggering effect on river floods in Peninsular India as compared to rainfall and soil moisture.
- Six rivers studied include Narmada, Tapi, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery.
- Baseflow:
- Baseflows are streamflows which results from precipitation that infiltrates into the soil and eventually moves through soil to the stream channel.
- This is often called groundwater flow or dry-weather flow.
- Tags :
- Base flow
- Narmada
- Tapi
Ethylene
- Mangoes were seized after being artificially ripened with ethylene.
- About Ethylene
- Colourless, flammable gas having a sweet taste and odour.
- Gaseous plant growth promoter.
- Highly effective in fruit ripening; Enhances respiration rate during ripening of fruits.
- Breaks seed and bud dormancy, initiates germination in peanut seeds, sprouting of potato tubers.
- Promotes root growth and root hair formation.
- Ethephon is most widely used compound as source of ethylene. Ethephon in an aqueous solution readily absorbed and transported within plant and releases ethylene slowly.
- FSSAI directions to use Ethylene
- Permits Ethylene for artificial ripening provided concentration does not exceed 100 ppm (parts per million).
- Any source of ethylene gas coming in direct contact with fruits is not permitted.
- Tags :
- FSSAI
- Ethylene
- Ethephon
K2-18b
- Data from James Webb Telescope suggests a high probability of Dimethyl Sulphide (DMS) gas.
- On Earth, living beings are the primary producers of DMS.
- On Earth, living beings are the primary producers of DMS.
- About K2-18B
- Discovered in 2015, K2-18b is a super Earth exoplanet (planet located outside our solar system) that orbits an M-type star.
- M stars (also called M dwarfs or Red dwarfs) are relatively cool, and smaller in size than the sun.
- It orbits K2-18 in the Goldilock zone (habitable zone) —Range of distance with right temperatures for water to remain liquid.
- Discovered in 2015, K2-18b is a super Earth exoplanet (planet located outside our solar system) that orbits an M-type star.
- Tags :
- K2-18b